Gitanjali Singh, Country Representative of UN Women in Bangladesh, met Shama Obaed Islam, MP, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning.
Desk report :
During the meeting, Ms. Singh briefed the State Minister on UN Women’s ongoing programmes aimed at advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality in Bangladesh. She expressed sincere appreciation for the continued support extended by the Government of Bangladesh in facilitating UN Women’s efforts to fulfill its mandate.
The State Minister highlighted various initiatives undertaken by the Government to promote women’s empowerment, including expanding opportunities for girls’ education and introducing people-centred initiatives such as Family Cards and Farmer Cards. She underscored Bangladesh’s proposal for establishing a Global Platform to Address Digital Harassment against Women and sought UN Women’s support and partnership in advancing this initiative. She also called for continued cooperation from UN Women in addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls.
State Minister Shama Obaed further emphasized the need for continued cooperation from UN entities towards the early return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar. She underscored the importance of addressing humanitarian funding gaps and ensuring justice and accountability for the grave violations committed against Rohingya women and girls in Myanmar.
The State Minister and the Country Representative also discussed Bangladesh’s upcoming engagements related to the 71st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Bangladesh’s national reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the way forward for the formulation of the next National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS).
